Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Hospitality Sector: Conditions of Employment

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what stepsthey are taking to protect the (1) pay, (2) conditions, and (3) employment rights, of workers in the hospitality sector, given increasing energy costs.

Lord Callanan: Over the past year, the Government has supported workers across the UK and in the hospitality sector to improve pay, conditions, and employment rights.On pay and facing increasing energy costs, we have helped people and businesses with their energy bills. The Energy Bills Support Scheme is supporting millions of households with rising energy costs until April next year. We have also raised the national living wage which will be £10.42 in April 2023. This is the largest ever cash increase and will ensure the lowest paid are fairly rewarded for their contribution to the economy.On employment rights and conditions, the Government is backing five Private Members’ Bills to support workers. This includes the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Bill, which will ensure that all tips go to hospitality staff and allows staff to bring a claim to an Employment Tribunal if businesses do not distribute well-earned service charges fairly.The Government has also been working closely with the hospitality sector. The Hospitality and Tourism Skills Board is developing guidance for employers on good practice regarding working conditions and employee wellbeing and progression

Local Government: Energy

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government how much has beenclaimed in energy efficiency grantsfor energy retrofit programmes by each local authority in each year since 2008.

Lord Callanan: Providing breakdowns of energy efficiency allocations for every local authority for each year since 2008 could only be provided at disproportionate cost. However, the most recent allocations to LAs from the Home Upgrade Grant, Green Homes Grant – Local Authority Delivery, Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund and Public Sector Decarbonisation schemes can be found on GOV.UK.

Climate Change and Environment Protection

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask His Majesty's Government further to the publication of Zero Hour’s Nature and Climate Declaration on 1 November, what steps are they taking (1) to reduce the full scope of the UK's greenhouse gas emissions reductions in line with limiting global heating to 1.5 degrees Celsius, (2) to halt and reverse biodiversity decline by 2030, and (3) to deliver a more ambitious and integrated environmental protection and decarbonisation plan.

Lord Callanan: The Government is committed to delivering net zero emissions by 2050. This is consistent with the Paris Agreement goal to limit global warming to well below 2°C and pursue efforts towards 1.5°C.The Environment Act 2021 commits the Government to halting the decline in species in England by 2030, in addition to setting at least one long term target for biodiversity. The Environment Act’s package of new policies, alongside other measures including the Nature for Climate Fund and new Environmental Land Management schemes, will help the Government to reach its targets and tackle climate change and biodiversity loss.

Armed Forces: Carbon Emissions

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government what diplomatic efforts they are making to encourage the inclusion of carbon emissions from militaries in UNFCCC emissions reporting; and what progress they have made.

Lord Callanan: The UK Government encourages Parties to report to the UNFCCC on all relevant emissions, including those from military sources, in line with UNFCCC best practice. The UK sets its Greenhouse Gas (GHG) inventory in accordance with international guidelines and emissions from some military sources (e.g. aircraft and shipping) are already included.

Ministry of Justice

HM Courts and Tribunals Service: Interpreters

Baroness Coussins: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the full independent review of qualifications and standards for court and tribunal spoken word interpreters, announced byLord Wolfson of Tredegar on 12 January (HL Deb, col 1151), has been completed; and if so, when it will be published.

Lord Bellamy: This review is ongoing alongside a wider and comprehensive review of language service requirements which is currently being undertaken within my Department. We will, of course, publish the outcome of that review once it is complete.

Alternatives to Prison: Parents

Lord Hylton: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to recommend non-custodial sentences whenever possible for parents of multiple children, and (2) to maintain strong family links and relationships during prison sentences, in order to reduce re-offending.

Lord Bellamy: Sentencing is entirely a matter for our independent courts. The sentencing guidelines specify ‘sole or primary carer for dependent relatives’ as a factor reducing seriousness or reflecting personal mitigation. Courts must strike a balance between the legitimate aims to be served by custody and the effect that sentence has on the family life of others, especially children. The Probation Service’s Pre-sentence Reports help the court in their sentencing decisions and consider the potential significant impact of imprisonment on any dependants (including unborn children). There will, however, always be some cases where the seriousness of the offending is such that a custodial sentence is necessary. We want to provide the best rehabilitative regimes possible to help break the reoffending cycle as we know maintaining positive family relationships is an important factor in reducing reoffending. We have worked to embed all 19 of the recommendations made by Lord Farmer in his 2017 review to strengthen family ties for male prisoners and have completed 25 out of 33 recommendations from his subsequent review focused on strengthening family ties for female offenders. Our work includes requiring prisons to produce local strategies setting out how prisoners will have access to family contact; introducing a national families performance measure; and deploying secure video calling for families across the prison estate.

Prisoners: Older People

Lord Bradley: To ask His Majesty's Government how many people currently in prison aged 80 or older are serving a sentence they originally received when aged (1) 15 to 17, (2) 18 to 20, (3) 21 to 24, (4) 25 to 29, (5) 30 to 39, (6) 40 to 49, (7) 50 to 59, (8) 60 to 69, and (9) 70 and older.

Lord Bradley: To ask His Majesty's Government how many (1) males, and (2) females, aged (a) 15 to 17, (b) 18 to 20, (c) 21 to 24, (d) 25 to 29, (e) 30 to 39, (f) 40 to 49, (g) 50 to 59, (h) 60 to 69, (i) 70 to 79, and (j) 80 and older, are currently in prison, broken down by offence category.

Lord Bellamy: Please find the requested information in the attached data tables.Data Table HL3336 (xlsx, 16.8KB)Data Table HL3407 (xlsx, 21.1KB)

Human Rights: Reform

Lord Carlile of Berriew: To ask His Majesty's Government which of the provisions in the Bill of Rights Bill were recommended by the Independent Human Rights Act Review Panel.

Lord Bellamy: The Bill of Rights follows careful consideration of the work done by the Independent Human Rights Act Review panel. We are very grateful to the panel for its detailed work. In terms of specific provisions, the Bill of Rights takes forward the recommendation from the Review that remedial orders should not be used to amend the Act itself. The Bill also seeks to increase the prominence of the common law in relation to rights protection, which was a key theme of the panel's report.More broadly, the Review’s analysis helped inform our approach in those areas of the Bill that were covered by its Terms of Reference, which was narrower than the scope of the Bill of Rights.

Human Rights: Reform

Lord Carlile of Berriew: To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of the responses to its consultation on the Bill of Rights Bill supported (1) the proposal to repeal the Human Rights Act altogether, (2) the proposal to restrict positive obligations, (3) the proposal to diverge from the European Court on Human Rights’ living instrument doctrine, and (4) the proposal to remove judicial power to interpret legislation in line with the European Convention of Human Rights.

Lord Bellamy: The Government’s consultation response is available on gov.uk, where we gave a comprehensive breakdown of the responses to the consultation. The consultation sought views on proposals as well as key themes relating to revision and replacement of the Human Rights Act.

Bill of Rights

Lord Carlile of Berriew: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have received from (1) other states, and (2) the UN Universal Periodic Review which took place on 10 November, regarding the Bill of Rights Bill.

Lord Bellamy: The UN’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a state driven process which involves a review of the human rights records of all UN Member States. The UK is firmly committed to the success of the UPR as an important mechanism for constructive peer review. During the UK’s UPR on 10 November a number of states made recommendations relating to Human Rights Act reform and the Bill of Rights. As is usual practice, a report compiling the recommendations made during the review will be published by the UN Human Rights Council in due course, and a full recording of the session is available on UN Web TV. The Government regularly discusses matters of mutual interest with our international state partners, and we fully intend to maintain our leading role in the promotion and protection of human rights. The Bill of Rights will allow us to remain a State Party to the ECHR and fully avail ourselves of the margin of appreciation in the sensible application of our human rights laws.

Prisons: Rehabilitation

Lord Bradley: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the finding in the HM Inspectorate and Probation reportOffender Management in Custody, published on 2 November, that only 25 per cent of keywork sessions were delivered against the prescribed model in May, what is the current rate of the delivery of keywork sessions in each of the prisons where staff have been authorised to carry PAVA spray.

Lord Bellamy: HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) has been rolling out PAVA incapacitant spray to all band 3-5 staff in the adult closed male estate and this is still under way. Staff require appropriate training to use PAVA and only prisons that have implemented the key work scheme – which is vital in building relationships between offenders and staff – will receive it.The figures for delivery of key work quoted in the joint inspection report are the latest currently available.Key work remains a priority for HMPPS, however, and has an important role in supporting improvements to prisons safety, reducing the risk of harm and re-offending and promoting community reintegration.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Ethiopia: Armed Conflict and Sexual Offences

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government how many survivors of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (CRSV) are scheduled to attend thePreventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) ministerial conference in November; how many are invited to speak from the Tigray region of Ethiopia; whether the government of Ethiopia will be represented; and what safeguards they will put in place to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the survivors.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: As a Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) Focus Country, we will highlight the effects of conflict in Ethiopia as part of the programme at the PSVI Conference from 28-29 November. We have invited a range of representatives, including from civil society and the Government, able to discuss the impacts of the conflict in Ethiopia.Guided by the conference Survivor Advisory Group, we are working to ensure survivor perspectives are included throughout our planning and survivors have been invited to engage as speakers across the majority of conference sessions. All survivors attending and/or sitting on a conference panel are doing so by choice. The UK takes safeguarding extremely seriously, and has consulted extensively with survivors, survivor networks and support organisations on survivor participation, needs and care. Psychosocial support will be provided for anyone who may feel affected during the conference. We will also ensure support staff are adequately briefed to ensure survivors are safeguarded and signposted to additional support services where necessary.

International Cooperation: Autonomous Weapons

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the United Nations General Assembly Statement on Lethal Autonomous Weapons systems on 21 October, what steps they are taking (1) to encourage cooperation between the other 69 signatories, and (2) to progress towards the elaboration of "the normative and operational framework regulating, where appropriate and necessary, autonomous weapons including through internationally agreed rules and limits".

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: International discussions on Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems (LAWS) fall under the auspices of the United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW). This is the appropriate forum to address the challenges associated with the use of autonomy in weapon systems. The UK will advocate for a Group of Government Experts (GGE) on LAWS mandate renewal at this year's CCW Annual Conference. The UK will continue to play a proactive role in that group, developing and supporting options, alongside the international community, to establish norms and positive obligations to ensure the safe and responsible use of autonomy.

South Sudan: Peace Negotiations

Baroness Cox: To ask His Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the government of South Sudan regarding the peace process.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Poor implementation of South Sudan's peace agreement is driving violence and a humanitarian crisis. Our Ambassador in Juba regularly meets with South Sudanese Ministers to push for progress. The UK's Special Representative for Sudan and South Sudan met with the South Sudanese Minister for the Presidency during his visit to London in September. During visits to Juba in July and August, the FCDO Director General for Africa and Latin America, Director for Africa and the UK's Special Representative for Sudan and South Sudan met with members of the South Sudanese transitional government. The UK also raises concerns at lack of progress, at the UN Security Council and through Troika (UK, US, Norway) or joint Troika and EU statements.

Sudan: Humanitarian Aid

Baroness Cox: To ask His Majesty's Government what humanitarian support they have provided to the government of Sudan, following recent violence in the Blue Nile state.

Baroness Cox: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Sudan regarding recent outbreaks of violence in the Blue Nile State.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: We condemn the recent violence in the Blue Nile State and have met with national authorities to urge de-escalation and to allow unfettered humanitarian access; a message our Ambassador to Sudan reiterated in a tweet on 21 October. On 27 October, the UK along with partners, also secured an Any Other Business (AOB) discussion on the violence in the UN Security Council to highlight the responsibility of the Sudanese authorities to protect civilians. During initial violence in Blue Nile State in July, the UK provided around £550,000 humanitarian support to those affected in the region through our partners, including the multi-donor Sudan Humanitarian Fund. We continue to monitor the situation closely and press Sudanese authorities to deliver their obligation to protect civilians.

Ministry of Defence

Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy: Autonomous Weapons

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to carry out a public consultation to inform (1) the implementation of the Defence Artificial Intelligence Strategy, and (2) any update to the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy.

Baroness Goldie: We do not intend to undertake public consultation on the whole implementation of the AI Strategy, though we will continue testing aspects of the approach with a range of stakeholders. A Downing Street process is currently underway to update the Integrated Review led by Professor John Bew, the Prime Minister's special adviser for foreign affairs and defence. The update is expected to be published by the end of this year.

Autonomous Weapons

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Policy Paper Ambitious, safe, responsible: Our approach to the delivery of AI-enabled capability in Defence, published on 15 June, in particular the statement that "there must be context-appropriate human involvement in weapons which identify, select and attack targets", whether users need to understand the effects of using the weapons in each specific context for such use to be acceptable.

Baroness Goldie: The MOD has set out a clear commitment to develop and use AI-enabled military capabilities - including, potentially, weapons systems - safely, responsibly, and ethically. This includes ensuring that commanders and the operators of AI-enabled systems are trained to understand the appropriate parameters of use in relation to their specific domain and operating context.

Defence Equipment: Procurement

Lord Goddard of Stockport: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the UK’s participation in the European Sky Shield Initiative on the UK’s “Team Complex Weapons”.

Baroness Goldie: The UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) is proactively engaging in the European Sky Shield Initiative in support of its current Land Ground Based Air Defence programme. In so doing, the UK MOD is looking to identify opportunities with its European partners to build on and strengthen the UK's Team Complex Weapons portfolio.

Department for Work and Pensions

State Retirement Pensions: Pay

Lord Goddard of Stockport: To ask His Majesty's Government how has the value of the basic state pension altered as a percentage of average national earnings since 2010.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: The basic State Pension rate as a percentage of mean earnings is set out below. Date of UpratingBasic State Pension Rate as a percentage of mean earnings (%)April 201016.3April 201116.9April 201217.7April 201317.8April 201418.2April 201518.5April 201618.5April 201718.5April 201818.4April 201918.4April 202019.0April 202118.9 Source: Abstract of DWP benefit ratestatistics 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings: Earnings and hours worked, all employees: ASHE Table 1 - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk) The basic State Pension is payable to those who reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016. It should be noted that some individuals may also be receiving the earnings-related additional State Pension (SERPS and/or State Second Pension (S2P)) or if they were contracted out of the additional State Pension, a private pension instead. Some individuals may also be receiving Graduated Retirement Benefit.

Home Office

Asylum: Applications

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask His Majesty's Government whether staff newly recruited to conduct asylum interviews and make decisions on individual cases have been equipped with sufficient (1) training, and (2) experience, of the asylum system.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: We have implemented a recruitment and retention allowance helping us to maintain experienced asylum decision-makers. The Home Office have also developed an asylum academy to reduce the time to competence. We will continue to monitor and review this and its impact on attrition and attraction.We are also building high performing teams, increasing the number of decision-makers and providing improved training and career progression opportunities to aid retention of staff.We have a comprehensive training programme and mentoring framework in place to support new and existing decision makers which is delivered by a dedicated team of technical experts.

Asylum: Children

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask His Majesty's Government when theyexpect to receive the report on age assessment of asylum-seeking children from the expert panel they established; and whether this report will be published.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: In December 2021, the Chief Scientific Adviser at the Home Office set up an independent Age Estimation Science Advisory Committee to provide her with independent scientific and associated ethical advice, recommendations for best practice and advice relating to issues raised by key stakeholders on the implementation of scientific methods of age assessment.We are continuing to work with the committee to finalise their report and considering their advice alongside other sources.

Treasury

National Income: Cost of Living

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to return GDP to the level it was at prior to the increased cost of living.

Baroness Penn: The Government appreciates that many businesses are exposed to increased energy costs, driven by global factors. While GDP remains (in real terms) above its level a year ago, GDP fell in Q3 and underlying growth has slowed. The Government has taken swift action to tackle the rising cost of energy caused by – in the most part – Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine. The Autumn Statement, delivered by the Chancellor, has demonstrated the Government’s commitment to raising productivity and delivering sustainable growth. This will be underpinned by economic stability and sound public finances. While there are no quick fixes; our long-term approach will provide the stable environment that businesses need to plan, invest, and grow and ensure that our public services have the resources they need to support the most vulnerable in our society.

Excise Duties: Red Diesel

Baroness Mallalieu: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to review the prohibition of the use of red diesel for off-road purposes in relation to the equine industry.

Baroness Penn: The Government confirmed at Spring Budget 2021 that it would remove the entitlement to use red diesel from most sectors from April 2022. The Government recognised that this would be a significant change for some businesses and ran a consultation to gather information from affected users on the expected impact of these tax changes and make sure it had not overlooked any exceptional reasons why other sectors should be allowed to continue to use red diesel beyond April 2022. Having assessed the cases made by other sectors to retain their red diesel entitlement, the Government did not believe that they were compelling enough to outweigh the need to ensure fairness between the different users of diesel fuels, the Government’s long-term environmental objectives and the need for the tax system to incentivise the development of greener alternatives to polluting fuels. In response to high fuel prices, the Government announced a temporary 12-month cut to the duty on petrol and diesel of 5p per litre and an equivalent percentage cut on the rates for rebated fuels. Overall, this is a tax cut for consumers, including small businesses, worth around £2.4 billion in 2022-23. As with all taxes, the Government keeps the red diesel entitlement under review.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Ethnic Groups and Migrants: Digital Technology

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking tosupport the voluntary and community sector to (1) support access, and (2) provide digital skills, for (a) migrant communities, and (b) ethnic minorities.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The voluntary and community sector plays a vital role in supporting people across the country in their everyday lives.We recognise that digital skills and access are increasingly required to participate fully in society, and that digital exclusion makes it more difficult for people to use essential services.To support access, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport continues to encourage operators to offer social tariffs, which provide low-cost mobile and broadband services for people on Universal Credit as well as other means-tested benefits. We continue to work closely with Ofcom, consumer groups, and the sector to raise awareness of these low-cost offers. For those unable to own a device with internet access, public libraries play an important role in providing access to the internet, with trained staff and volunteers to support users. The Department for Education’s Digital Entitlement allows for adults with no or low digital skills (below level 1) to study for Essential Digital Skills Qualifications (EDSQs) for free.The size of the challenge, however, means that we cannot tackle the digital divide on our own. The involvement of the voluntary and community sector is crucial, and support can be most effective where providers are able to tailor their support to local needs.DCMS will continue to engage with the sector and across Government on this topic.

Gambling Act 2005 Review

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government when the Gambling Act white paper will be published.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The Gambling Act Review is an extensive, evidence-led review, which aims to ensure gambling regulation is fit for the digital age. We will publish a White Paper setting out our conclusions and next steps in the coming weeks.